The Peel region's MPs have expressed their delight after the state government's announcement that TAFE fees were set to be reduced by 50 per cent.
Premier Mark McGowan announced earlier this week that the cost of selected high-priority qualifications would be halved from January 2020 through to the end of 2021.
Mandurah MP David Templeman said the cuts affected a number of courses at local TAFE campuses including Mandurah, which had reduced fees in courses including:
- Certificate II in Introduction to Aged Care - approx. $975 in 2017, reduced to $486 for 2020.
- Certificate III in Individual Support - approx. $1804 in 2017, reduced to $899 for 2020.
- Certificate IV in Ageing Support - approx. $2698 in 2017, reduced to $1345 for 2020.
"I've spoken to people here in Mandurah who want to study at TAFE, but have been put off by high costs - some are young people starting out their working life and some have decided to change career paths and learn new skills," Mr Templeman said.
"The huge increases in TAFE fees under the last government were a real deterrent for young people in Mandurah who wanted a TAFE qualification.
"During the election campaign in 2017, I spoke with many young people living here in Mandurah, who were struggling with the costs of TAFE or reconsidering their study options because of cost."
Murray-Wellington MP Robyn Clarke said the following courses at Harvey TAFE would drop in price:
- Certificate III in Individual Support - both Ageing & Disability- approx. $1082 in 2013, reduced to $899 for 2020.
- Certificate IV in Ageing Support - approx. $1,619 in 2013, reduced to $1,345 for 2020.
"If we want our young people to thrive for our region in the future, we need to make studying affordable, and making TAFE more affordable is exactly what we need," Ms Clarke said.
"This announcement will make TAFE more affordable for people wanting to study, learn new skills and take up jobs in high demand areas like aged care and disability services."
